In 2004, Miguel Baldoni was working as a substitute teacher in rural Appalachian Ohio when he heard about a new charter school opening on the East Side of San Jose. He uprooted himself, came to California and got a job teaching chemistry at the Academica Calmecac, which was run by the Mexican American Community Services Agency (MACSA).
He says he was pleased that the position offered him a chance to change the lives of at-risk students who had been left behind by traditional public schools. But he freely admits that the exceptional retirement package promised to all MACSA teachers really cemented his decision to pack his bags and come to Silicon Valley with 10 bucks in his pocket.
“This was the biggest reason why I took this job,” Baldoni says.
Baldoni says he had his preliminary interview with Xavier Campos, who was then MACSA’s chief operating officer and is now running for a seat on the San Jose City Council. Campos enthusiastically described the benefits that Baldoni, MACSA’s first teacher, would be getting: CalSTRS, the state-run teachers retirement program, would take 8 percent of Baldoni’s paycheck; MACSA would match it dollar for dollar, and then they’d add an additional 1 percent to it. “That’s pretty sweet,” Baldoni remembers thinking. “When I was in my interview, I was like ‘Oh my God, yeah!’ You just couldn’t find a job with that kind of retirement.”
It wasn’t until a year after he began teaching at MACSA, Baldoni says, that he noticed something was amiss. When he went to check his CalSTRS account online, instead of a couple thousand dollars, he discovered that only $162 had been deposited. A month later, his account still read $162. Baldoni began asking around. “I started asking other teachers, and sure enough, once we opened that Pandora’s box, then everybody else started going, ‘Yeah, I don’t have it either.’”
At first, Baldoni says, MACSA’s administration insisted that the retirement payments were stalled as a result of the agency’s cyclical pay structure. He was told to wait a few months, and that the money would show up. Nothing happened. Then, he says, the administrators told the faculty that there was a wage freeze, but assured them once again that their retirement money was on its way. Nothing happened.
In 2007, the teachers finally brought the issue to the attention of MACSA chief financial officer Benjamin Tan. Baldoni says they still couldn’t find out what was going on. “We didn’t know who was telling us the truth, or who was lying. We didn’t know anything was wrong. All we knew was that we weren’t getting the money that was promised us.”
Baldoni says he and his colleagues got the run-around for years. First, he says, they were told that MACSA sent the money to the East Side Union High School District, and then that it had been send directly to CalSTRS. When the teachers contacted CalSTRS, they were told no money was coming from MACSA.Gordon Smith, a former math and music teacher at MACSA, says the same thing happened when he approached Tan, who has since resigned.
“I know for a fact, three different times, [Tan] told us to follow a path that lead to nowhere, so he knew,” Smith says.
“You couldn’t get a straight answer from anyone,” Baldoni says. “There’s that point, where you don’t want to believe it, where you think it’s just you, or that it’s an honest mistake. We’re not naive, but you never think your employer is going to lie to you.”
In late August 2009, Santa Clara County District Attorney Dolores Carr received a 38-page report concerning MACSA, commissioned by the county Office of Education. In a letter to Carr, county Superintendent Charles Weis wrote that the report “found evidence of apparent illegal fiscal practices and misappropriation of funds” at the school.According to the report, MACSA surreptitiously skimmed $400,000 that was earmarked for its employees’ pensions—practically cleaning out the account. Without the faculty’s or staff’s knowledge, the money was instead used for operational costs to keep the insolvent school up and running.
Law and Politics
The report has been on Carr’s desk for more than a year. The delay in concluding an investigation has raised some questions about the outgoing DA’s willingness to prosecute her political supporters.
Campos, who announced his candidacy for San Jose City Council’s District 5 around that time, has denied any knowledge of the teacher’s pension skimming going on at his longtime employer. Last March, in an interview at Tacos Al Carbon on Story Road, Campos refused to answer any questions on the record. “I’m proud of my time at MACSA, but other than that I have no comment,” he said. He declined to be interviewed for this story.
According to the report, in December 2008, the cash-strapped MACSA Board went into closed session to consider an “extraordinary” severance package for Campos, who was in the process of leaving his post. The severance package was later denied.
By the time these allegations started to come to light, Baldoni had spent five years teaching at the charter school.
“I had less in my [retirement] account than people who had been there only two years,” he says.
Finally, in early 2009, MACSA CEO Olivia Soza-Mendiola and the administration called a meeting of faculty and staff.
“She said, yes, we are having cash flow problems, and they were using money that was earmarked for the schools to pay for other programs,” Baldoni says. “She didn’t actually say she was misappropriating funds.”
Soza-Mendiola resigned a few weeks later. “For three years, I knew we were getting screwed,” Baldoni says. “But we weren’t going to leave, because those kids, we were really invested in their lives.
“Teachers are basically the parents of those kids for eight hours a day. And those kids get really attached. Even when you know you’re getting screwed, it’s very difficult to tell a kid you know needs you, ‘To hell with you, see you later.’”
Failing History
The two former MACSA teachers say nobody was minding the store under the leadership of CEO Olivia Soza-Mendiola, COO Xavier Campos and CFO Benjamin Tan.
“[MACSA] was all about creating this sense of community,” Smith says. “It was odd, because when we were doing that, there would also be this half-hour-long session where they’d take the teachers aside and basically lie to us. “It was incongruous. We wanted to believe that there was good faith going on there, but we didn’t see any change.”
Smith says that he has known Xavier Campos since they played softball together as teenagers. Smith describes the current District 5 San Jose council candidate, who worked his way up to the COO position by spending 20 years with the organization, as a “MACSA lifer.” Asked directly whether he believes Campos knew about the pension scheme, Smith will not come right out and say; but he seems skeptical of the veracity of the council candidate’s denials.
“Three people ran that place,” Smith says. “It’s not feasible that only one of them knew. It’s impossible that none of them knew. So, it’s likely that more than one of them knew.”
On Sept. 15, the San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce released a nine-page document which seems to show that Campos was more involved in MACSA’s financial decisions than he has admitted. According to documents obtained by outside auditors Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team, Campos was the only officer at MACSA with a direct line of oversight regarding the school’s operations. Furthermore, documents show that he was a member of the MACSA financial committee, and directly handled the sale of a MACSA-owned property to solve the school’s “cash flow problem” in 2008.
The audit openly challenges “the truthfulness of [Campos’] statements,” and concludes that he knew—or should have known—about the decision to drain the retirement account.
Campos has refused to address the audit, other than to paint it as an unfounded attack. And he has steadfastly continued to insist—in the face of evidence to the contrary—that his involvement with MACSA was limited to working with kids in its gang-intervention program.
Baldoni is dubious about that claim as well. “I was there from 2004, and I never saw Xavier counsel a kid about gangs,” Baldoni says. “The gang intervention [program] was supposed to be classes after school that dealt with gang intervention, but that wasn’t Xavier. That was Mario [Ozuna-Sanchez]. Maybe he did it at other schools, but not at our schools. I know for a fact that he never did it at our school.”
Smith has the same impression.
“The body language of the kids I saw when they were talking to him was more like ‘Who is this guy?’ Not, ‘Oh Xavier, let’s talk,’” Smith says. “[Campos’] involvement with the school directly, as a member of the school community, was minimal. I think his influence in policy was huge. But, when I would see him there, I wouldn’t see him talking to any of the students.”
Smith says that in his eyes, the biggest roadblock that MACSA faced was the fact that the three top administrators, who may have known how to run a community cultural organization, were incompetent when it came to running an educational institution.
“It was a constant cycle of reinventing the wheel, and really, there was very little long-term vision,” Smith says. “If you don’t have experienced people at the top, you’re not going to get that.”
Both teachers say they valued the good work they were able to accomplish while at the Academica Calmecac, and speak proudly of the kids they were able to help get into college. Ultimately they are disappointed that the project failed.
“They were trying to make this dream happen, an integration of cultural resource center with a gang intervention center, with a charter high school that’s trying to be college prep,” Smith says. “But I think that’s how they wanted it to happen: playing volleyball and having raffles. When you have legitimate things you are supposed to be doing at a school, you are preoccupied, and they just weren’t addressing it. The school was extremely low achieving.”
In the end, Baldoni and Smith say the real people who have gotten the shaft in the MACSA fiasco are the kids they taught.
“I think [the administrators] thought, maybe if everybody could just get along, then somehow magically the school could increase in performance,” Baldoni says. “Like if we could just learn how to play with each other, then it would all be OK. It was very Twilight Zone.”
Such shameless behavior on the part of those placed in trust. Whether the misappropriation and disappearance of funds was purposeful or due to malfeasance, those entrusted should be forever banished from the public trough.
Jessica, if you love Xavier so much, why don’t you propose?
Seriously, you’re obesessed. So many other topics to write about this election season.
Why not Mike Wasserman’s paper-thin knowledge of County issues?
PYD,
What an articulate rebuttal to everything raised in this article. Are we still in elementary school?
Your Mom’s articulate.
Perhaps she’s writing about this because Xavier Campos has an excellent chance of being elected to the San Jose City Council, despite the fact that the evidence very strongly suggests he’s either incompetent, or a crook (or perhaps both)?
That would be a pretty good reason, by my reckoning.
Xavier Campos is a failure. He was a MACSA “lifer” who hasn’t accomplished much in his 20+ year career as a community leader. Most people don’t know him or feel he made any impact in the community. The kids at the school had the “who’s this guy?” look because even when he was the Youth Center director he only spent time in his office. He has serious interpersonal issues. He always seems uncomfortable around youth and the community.
He is either incompetent and missed the entire scimming of the pension fund right from under his nose or he was the one masterminding it. Either way he has no business being the next city council rep from District 5.
Shame on him and shame on each and every person who supports him trying to sell that fraud to the community!
Kudos to Smith & Baldoni for having the courage to speak up.
I want to thank Metro for both doing in-depth coverage of local politics and some real investigative work. Since the Merc has cut back, they can’t do this stuff anymore. It’s a real shame and a danger to local government.
I agree. Thank you Metro!
The mercury news and the associated community papers it owns actually can do this kind of investigative journalism, even after the cut backs in the newsroom, but choose instead to deliver “Light” news as a wrapper for the paid advertising. Actually, if it weren’t for the Fry’s ads, I doubt I’d have reason to ever pick up a Merc.
Last night I talked to one of our political powerhouses for East San Jose. He endorsed Magdalena Carrasco because he wants a new voice, fresh air and someone he can trust to support our community.
He told me that members of Team Campos called with threats to his job and demanding he retract his endorsement. Way to go Team Campos, he’s now providing more support for Carrasco than before.
The Campos family are crooks and have no shame in using our community and children for their own political gain. And if the Mercury News has any guts, they should do a full investigation and demand that Xavier Campos responds to all these allegations. We do not need another crook in City Hall.
Sounds to me that Dolores Carr should seek an indictment of Sr. Campos.
That’s one of the best pieces of Investigative journalism I’ve read in the local press the last few years. Thank you Ms. Fromm for the good work on the article and to the editors and publishers for raising the bar again on local journalism.
Now – as far as comments on the content – take this with a grain of salt.
Mr. Campos has earned our vote for council by demonstrating the same kind of leadership we have come to know and expect. His good feelings and superficial leadership style seems like a good fit for a council dealing with tough financial decisions and will be a breath a fresh air on the divided council where penny pinchers and number crunching grinches want to cut libraries, police pensions and firefighter positions.
Its clear that if we all just try a little harder to get along we should be able to balance budgets and make everyone happy long enough to serve two well deserved terms on the council and take the natural step of assuming his sisters termed out seat in the state assembly while supporting her run for Lt. Governor (or Congress). Its time we set aside petty differences and supported a dynasty of dynamic leadership with a track record of trying to get things done while making us all feel good.
Stay tunes for the masterful plan to engineer a reverse mortgage on city hall (selling the land and building to a politically connected developer for quick cash and then leasing it back for an escalating rent scaled to not appear outrageous until two terms on the council are up.)
So, Xavier, the COO, takes the Sgt. Schultz defense—“I know nothing”. C’mon!!
Wait… Wait… Wait…. You all have it wrong. Dan Fenton messed up MACSA. Blame Him.
Nice to know that Dolores Carr took action after the absentee ballots hit.
The County office of Education did the work and then she sat on it for a year, hoping to retain South Bay Labour Council support for her re-election.
Maybe now that she’s a lame duck she’ll try and clean up her legacy and do a real political corruption prosecution… and leave it for the new guy… like George Kennedy did to her.
Hey Mr. Baldoni. Don’t forget you took the job because it allowed you to take a teaching job WITHOUT a credential. Aren’t you running for something academic? Is your credential in place?
This is such a typical response from the Campos camp. Lets attack the source because we don’t like what they’re saying. They’re being mean and pointing out our mistakes and criminal activity. Boo hoo, wah wah.
No one is being fooled. Lets say there is some validity to the assertion that Baldoni is teaching without a credential. Why did MACSA hire him? It was Campos who interviewed and screened him? Just one more FAILURE for Campos. Of course its more likely that Mr Baldoni obtained an emergency credential to teach at the school since he was an out of state sub teacher coming into CA.
So tell the public Mr Concerned Citizen for Campos, is the “Is your credential in place” a threat to Mr Baldoni? One of those bully attacks that Shirakawa, Campos, Cindy Chavez et al are known for employing when the truth gets too hard to handle?
Good riddance to them ALL
Here’s whats really funny.
Xavier Campos interviewed and hired Mr Baldoni. Xavier Campos stole Mr Baldoni’s pension money. Xavier Campos as COO of MACSA chose Mr Baldoni as “Teacher of the Year” for the red carpet MACSA event the year he left.
Oh yeah its HILARIOUS that now Xavier Campos’ lackeys want to attack the credibility of Mr Baldoni.
Whatever it is that Mr Baldoni is running for, hell, he’s got my vote! Take ‘em all down Baldoni!
Wow Mr Baldoni must be some important guy that you single him out like that. Maybe its because he’s telling the truth. The tone is a bit threatening whats funny is that MACSA used to run a lot of anti-bully campaigns. Maybe Campos should put all his staff and associates through one. He can do it in November after the 2nd. I’m guessing he’ll have lots of free time then.
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA
Hey, the MACSA schools seem to have been run as cheaply as possible. Ergo, uncredentialed teachers that they could rob blind who had no other recourse. In spite of teaching a full hour more than their district counterparts with students who were involved with/influenced by gangs with almost no resources at a site Campos signed off on sight unseen, you have the extreme audacity to blame and threaten the teacher. Get a life!
Wait, I thought they owed money to East Side High district. The reporter didn’t mention? Maybe the Team Campos et al are putting the muscle on some of the board (who are running)?
Campos’s charter schools were badly run, and I’m not surprised to learn he cheated teachers out of money. The money MACSA took in sure wasn’t going to provide a solid education.
We must stop the corruption! No more RON GONZALEZ, CINDY CHAVEZ, JOE COTO, NORA CAMPOS, AND: XAVIER CAMPOS.
WE NEED TO PROTECT THE WELLFARE FROM THESE GANGS!
I haven’t spent any time around MACSA-istas since the late sixties when it was more an upstanding cultural effort as opposed to an obviously dubious money-magnet “educational” effort, with few answers as to “who knew what and when” about misappropriation of bucks. What I now find interesting, but not surprising in light of these new revalations, is MACSA’s straying into the role of Social Arbiter with their, in my mind, equally spurious venture of creating a string of “Most Influential Latinos of Silicon Valley.” Keep in mind that this “Most Influential” glow is expected to reflect off the organization itself as well as the “special” elites that it has attempted to create, very much a self-aggrandizing move on MACSA’s part. I say “attempted” because one of them is now falling flat on his very deserving face, very much with my help. At the suggestion of then Official San José Ombudsman Sam Sanchez I called together in 1973 a group of college and community artistas to form what became the Centro Cultural de la Gente. Almost immediately I began to be the target of homophobic abuse by the Teatro de la Gente contingent composed of Adrian Vargas and his diminutive and equally bigoted side-kick Manuel Martinez. Soon they were joined in this attempt to exile me from the Centro by the then visiting Teatro Experimental de Calí (Colombia) Jorge Vargas and Mario Matallana. My report to the umbrella group about this abuse, the Confederacion de la Raza Unida (sleeping-Mexicans on this issue for sure), went unanswered and as far as I know, ignored. Vargas, then all of twenty two tears of age, a serious social-climber, suspiciously obsessive and hysterical about proving his own “masculinity”, and very much hopped-up on then extremely homophobic Maoism, eventually took over the Centro, clearly his very un-democratic intent from scratch. To make a long story shorter, I am outing this “Influential” creature all over Silicon Valley—especially to funding or award bestowing agencies, the Heritage Plaza, MACSA itself, the City of San José, Human Rights Commission, Sen. Mike Honda, all of the activists and including all local MeChA groups, theater groups (including Mexican and Colombian included), etc. Mr. Vargas and his hench-persons clearly picked on the wrong Chicano activist, the wrong artist, the wrong queer, and decidely the wrong family. See my blog XLOWRIDER TIMES PANCHO VILLA—and my ‘zine Hate Crime Review & Parody which will circulate locally, be assured, and will contain an excellent profile of this opportunist and gay basher. Antonio Perales del Hierro